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<title>Her Mother by Lil_Red_Reaper</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24824122">Her Mother</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_Red_Reaper/pseuds/Lil_Red_Reaper'>Lil_Red_Reaper</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>RWBY</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Emotional Trauma, Gen, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Repressed memory</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:40:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>983</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24824122</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lil_Red_Reaper/pseuds/Lil_Red_Reaper</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby didn’t understand what was happening. </p><p>She knew it was normal for her mom to go off for a while and return with stories of exciting adventures, but this was different that even she could tell something was wrong.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ruby Rose &amp; Summer Rose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Her Mother</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ruby didn’t understand what was happening. </p><p>She knew it was normal for her mom to go off for a while and return with stories of exciting adventures, but this was different that even she could tell something was wrong. </p><p>Usually there would be hugs and kisses goodbye, but this time she had overheard her parents exchange some words before her mom had left without a farewell to neither her or her older sister Yang. </p><p>So Ruby, being the curious little girl she was, managed to slip outside to try and find her mom before she left the island. There was only one place she could think of to go and look, a place her family frequented often to have picnics. </p><p>It was scary to venture into the woods on her own, something she had been told never to do because of the monsters that could lurk within, but her drive to find her mom kept her going so she ran as fast as her small legs could take her. She stepped on many branches, almost tripped over logs, and ran into trees but eventually she made it. </p><p>The cliffside of the island was made of grass dotted earth that extended over the ocean. It was a nice place to visit to admire the sky and the waters, however things didn’t look so nice now. </p><p>There Ruby’s mother stood, standing close to the edge. Dark clouds had begun to roll in and the air was getting cold, causing the little girl to shiver. Meanwhile her mother seem unaffected with her head turned up to the ominous clouds while her white cloak blew in the wind that was picking up. </p><p>“Mommy, where are you going?” Ruby called out as she wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to stay warm. She had ran outside in just a short sleeved shirt and shorts. </p><p>Her mother turned around immediately, her eyes wide in surprise. “Ruby? What..what are you doing out here? You know you’re not supposed to come out here alone.” Her voice was soft, but still stern.</p><p>Ruby frowned as she was scolded. “But Mommy...you left without saying goodbye..” </p><p>A soft sigh escaped the woman before she began to make her way over towards the young girl. “I’m sorry, my little petal..Mommy just..has to go away for a while..and I didn’t want to-“</p><p>“Go where? Why do you need to go?” The innocent child quickly cut her off with questions and titled her head to the side a bit. She watched as her mom looked down sadly with clasped hands. It confused her. </p><p>“It’s...hard to explain, but it’s very important that I go.” Ruby’s mother leaned down on her knees to face her and gently placed her hands on both of the girl’s shoulders. “But..I’ll be home as soon as I can, I promise.” </p><p>She spoke in the gentle, soothing tone Ruby had grown accustomed to when her mom was trying to calm her down, but this time there was something more to it that Ruby didn’t quite understand. </p><p>Even though her mother was giving her a soft smile, when Ruby looked into the woman’s silver eyes that reflected her own she could see there was something different. </p><p>“But...Mommy..” Tears began to pour out since even if she didn’t understand, she felt fear that something was wrong. </p><p>A soft kiss was pressed on the girl’s forehead and her tears were gently wiped away. “Mommy loves you so very much, Ruby.” </p><p>It looked like her mother was close to crying herself, but before Ruby could say anything more the sound of her father’s voice rang out from the woods behind her. “Ruby!! Where are you?!” </p><p>She turned around to face in the direction she heard him and then quickly looked back towards her mom only to find she was no longer there. Instead a few red and white rose petals slowly drifted to the ground where she had been standing.</p><p>“Mommy..?” </p><p>Almost immediately her dad joined her, most likely having a hunch this would be where his daughter would be due to following her mother. </p><p>Ruby received quite a lecture that night as she was dragged away and any questions she had about where her mom was were met with “She’ll be back.” </p><p>Unfortunately as time went on it seemed that night was the last time anyone ever saw her. After what felt like an agonizingly long time of waiting for that front door to open it was presumed that she had died on whatever mission it was she went on. A grave stone with no body was placed in her favourite spot and the last place she ever was. </p><p>As Ruby grew up her memories of the woman who birthed her became cloudy and her older sister had to take up the maternal role when their father lost himself to his grief. Most of what Ruby did know was from stories her family would tell her, most specifically her sister or uncle. </p><p>Her mother was Summer Rose. She was a brave, selfless warrior and an attentive, cheerful, loving mother. </p><p>These were the things Ruby clung to. The things she herself wanted to strive to be. The early memory of her mother leaving had long been repressed and changed into something much more cheerful. </p><p>It stayed that way for years, even when Ruby learned things about the horrors the world contained and what some would do to those with eyes like her and her mother’s. </p><p>She didn’t want to believe it. She held onto that version of her mother as tightly as she could.  </p><p>It wasn’t until she was seventeen, standing in a dark room on another ominous night, facing the world’s biggest evil did she hear something that shattered the rose tinted glasses she wore and brought it all back. </p><p>“Your mother...said those words to me.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I’ve had this idea/headcanon that the flashes Ruby sees of Summer in Volume 7 are actually part of a repressed memory of the last time she ever saw her mother.</p><p>This one shot was me attempting to write that out! I hope you enjoyed it!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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